Translating to ‘burnt cedar plate’, Shou Sugi Ban is a
Japanese term for the ancient art of charring timber to
both preserve the wood and give it a unique burnt finish.
Sharing its name with the charring techniques it
practices, Shou Sugi Ban by Exterior Solutions Ltd are
making use of MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME to produce
Kitai, a unique and striking variant of wall cladding that
is being used for the interior design of new Leeds-based
restaurant - Sticky Sisters.

The Solution

Producing a range of charred timber cladding products
for a wide variety of specifications, Shou Sugi Ban create
beautiful wooden wall panelling and cladding with
natural timber boards that show an enhanced grain. The
charring process forms a carbon layer on the exterior of
the boards, which not only gives an enriched finish to
design projects, but also protects the timber inside and
can enhance the panel qualities making it more resistant
to fire, rot and pests.

“With a refreshed interest in brutalist techniques in the
architecture world, we are seeing a steep increase in
interest for our charred timber cladding ranges, which are
now being featured in award-winning houses,” says Karl
Harrison, Director of Projects at Exterior Solutions Ltd,
owners of the Shou Sugi Ban UK.

“In order to support this demand, we need to use base
products that we can rely upon when we apply our
charring techniques. We selected MEDITE TRICOYA
EXTREME for our Kitai treatment due to its reaction to
those processes. The material burns effectively to give
a real aesthetic impact while maintaining its durability
after the charring process.

“To create our finished Kitai product, MEDITE TRICOYA
EXTREME is treated with an oil specifically developed in
conjunction with MEDITE SMARTPLY to protect the wood
and ensure it remains weatherproof. The process
maintains the product’s 50-year external and 75-year
internal use guarantee.”

The manufacturing process used to create MEDITE
TRICOYA EXTREME, which involves a proprietary
non-toxic and environmentally friendly modification
process, helps ensure that the burning technique used to
create Kitai produces no harmful gases.

The Result

Peter Clifton, Product Manager for MEDITE TRICOYA
EXTREME, said, “Shou Sugi Ban’s products give a really
distinct look and feel to design projects and it’s been
fantastic working so closely with them on the
development of their Kitai wall cladding. It’s particularly encouraging to see that MEDITE TRICOYA
EXTREME has provided such a fitting material that’s
able to withstand the impact of the charring process and
maintain its high-performance value. It just goes to show
the true diversity of one of the most innovative wood
panels on the market today.”

The new Sticky Sisters restaurant in Leeds’ Merrion
Centre is now open and offers customers a casual dining
experience and a menu suited to all tastes. Specified for
the indoor of the restaurant, the Kitai cladding gives the
finished interior design a rich, textured finish that is at
once both rustic and refined.